


The Downfall of Us All

by wntr_sldr



Category: X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: 1stclass_kink, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-03
Updated: 2012-03-03
Packaged: 2017-11-01 01:27:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/350467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wntr_sldr/pseuds/wntr_sldr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for this prompt (<a href="http://1stclass-kink.livejournal.com/7761.html?thread=14130513#t14130513">1stclass_kink</a>)</p><p>"<i>I'm imagining a scene where they meet a year or so later and contemplate their need for such pre-cautions, how in the relatively short time they have known each other, their relationship has known such extremes (lovers to mortal enemies)––and how even "bookends of the same soul" sometimes need to build such high walls.</i>"</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Downfall of Us All

**Author's Note:**

> Beta'd by Nathy aka my queen. ♥  
> This is gifted to elevates @ lj.

_You won't find me in the same spot  
Believe me I could never stop  
My life's turned upside down  
Meet me out past the train tracks  
I'm leaving and not coming back  
You're right and I was wrong  
This town will be the downfall of us all_

He can’t even look at her. It doesn’t matter how many times she says she’s sorry about that, it just doesn’t matter. Mystique – Hank refuses to call her Raven, that woman isn’t Raven anymore- is an enemy. And he respects Charles more than anyone in his life and he knows that his Professor has a wise mind, but he doesn’t care when it comes to Charles insisting that Brotherhood isn’t an enemy. They are the enemy. They tortured humans, they kidnapped other mutants, and they attacked the X-Men. Charles can pretend that there’s still some humanity left in Magneto but he’s alone in this topic. Not even Magneto thinks that exist any kind of humanity in his own being. Charles should let X-Men fight against Brotherhood when it wasn’t a strong group yet. They could win this battle. But now it’s too late. And Hank is a prisoner of Brotherhood.

“I—I don’t want to-“ He sighs leaning his head against the wall. “Please Mystique. Just leave me alone. I’m not interested in your speech. Why are you even pretending to be nice? Is that all about your plan, isn’t it? Well, sorry but you can play nice with me how long you want, I’m not betraying Charles. _Like you did_.”

Raven’s eyes got wider but Hank couldn’t tell if she is angry, because he can’t actually see her. That is so damn frustrating. The only slot allowing him to see something outside of that cubicle is a very small window. Raven goes there four times per day to feed him and give him some water. Truth be told, she has been making many attempts to start a conversation, but always ends with Hank throwing her mistakes against the wall. At the end of night, Magneto walks down there to try to persuade the boy and Hank has noticed that after every time he says ‘no’ to Magneto, the meal gets scarcer. 

“I didn’t betray Charles. I just—he let me—“ She sounds like a mix of pain and confusion. Then she goes silent. “Things will be better if you cooperate with us. You may remember how Erik is, Hank. He’s been waiting for so long, now he wants everything working faster and faster. He doesn’t have time to be wasted.”

Hank lets a loud laugh to escape from his lips. He shakes his head. “You sound so… I don’t even know. It’s disgusting. You do worship the man who left your brother in a wheelchair. You left your own brother behind. And you did it for Magneto.” The anger is clear in his voice. He already is on Brotherhood’s hands so he can’t figure what worse could happen to him. “Charles adopted you as his family, he actually gave you one; he gave you a home, he loved you, he accepted you, he would give his life to save yours instead. And what do you do in return? You leave him for the man who is responsible for all shit that Charles has had to deal with. Magneto destroyed Charles. You’d know that if you had stayed with us. Wi-with Charles, I mean.”

Raven walks away without saying a single word. She is grateful for everything Charles has done for her but she isn’t hypocrite enough to fight for Charles’ view of an ideal world, once she doesn’t agree with his arguments. She doesn’t want to be hidden because mankind fears her. And that is what Charles wants the mutants respect: two different races can co-exist in the very same society without war between them. But Charles forgets to mention that peace is only available if one keeps hiding from the others. So Erik gave her freedom, Erik gave her a choice. She doesn’t need to change anymore.

Now she’s mutant and proud.  
__

Charles stares at the Mansion’s garden through the window, everything stays the same but everything has changed.

“Professor?”

Charles slowly turns to face Alex, who’s standing right behind him but Charles only sees Alex’ shadow because he forgets that he has to rotate his wheelchair. He doesn’t know if he genuinely forget this detail or if he deeply only wishes so bad that he hadn’t to move a wheelchair instead of moving his own body.

It has been like this the last year.

It was a very long year.

“Yes?” Then Charles turns his wheelchair to the left to face Alex, he offers Alex a smile like everything is just fine. Because that’s what he does, he tries to keep everyone safe and he tries to make things better to everyone, once things can’t get any better for himself. So he smiles.

“Magneto sent you a message.” Alex makes sure to show his dislike for handling a message from Magneto. The only reason to Alex deliver it to Charles is that Hank is in dangerous and they need to contact Magneto, otherwise Alex would assure that no message could reach Charles’ hands. 

Charles blinks. He’s been waiting for this moment for so long but that’s not how he’s imagined it. Erik’s message is short and clear: they have to talk as soon as possible. Charles sighs, keeping the note on his pocket.

“Go get our car, Alex, we need to go for Hank.”

“Yes, Professor.” Alex looks at him waiting for something but Charles doesn’t notice – or pretend not to notice -, so Alex leaves it.

On their way to downtown, Charles stays quiet trying to figure out how to act and what to say. The genius Professor Charles F. Xavier, leader of the X-Men, headmaster of the great Institute of Mutant Youngsters, a teacher in Oxford, doesn’t know what to do when it comes about his old friend, Erik Lehnsherr, now more known as Magneto. Charles feels such a stupid young boy all once again; the same stupid boy who bought a bunch of beautiful lies every time Erik whispered how much he loved Charles while he was still inside of his body. Maybe Charles should have known, maybe should have thought twice before jumping into Erik’s arms, wishing to stay there forever. They were never meant to be.

__

The little central park is full of playgrounds and stuff, but in a quiet corner if you look better, you can see two men sitting in front of each other on a chess-table. A few steps away from them, on each side, there are some people looking at them intensively like they were guarding them from something else, probably protecting one from another. There are kids everywhere and parents and dogs and toys. There are humans around them and that’s what makes Erik confident enough to bring Hank along with his team, because the X-Men would never start a fight in front of so many innocent people. Always good guys.

Erik is staring at him but Charles is looking away, searching for courage to confront Erik.

“I’m sorry, Charles.”

Charles looks at Erik. “For what?”

“Hank.”

They sustain the eye contact for some more time but Charles looks down. Deep down, he hoped to hear ‘for everything’, but this isn’t Erik, this is Magneto. He is not using his helmet but Emma is a few steps behind Erik, doing her job and keeping Charles away from Erik’s mind. Charles doesn’t know that because he didn’t try to read Erik’s mind not even for a second, but he can tell that’s Magneto, not his Erik. His gaze got colder and his lips seemed having forgotten how to smile and his expression is hard, almost painful. 

It’s not his Erik.

“Did you expect that Hank would help you?” 

“Yes. I thought Hank was the weak one even if he’s the genius of them. Like you.” If that was a compliment, it was not well received to Charles, who ignored the last part so Erik keeps talking, “Um. Hank wasn’t proud of being mutant, you know, Charles. He used to do a lot of research to try to find a cure. Even now that he’s became Beast, I’m not sure he embraced the mutant—“

“Did you make my entire team and I come all this way just to try to teach me how to take care of my children? I’m afraid this is none of your business anymore, Magneto.” 

Right there. That sad look is Erik’s, Charles recognizes the pain, he already saw that look in Erik’s eyes. But for a brief moment Charles thinks that’s because of what he said in general, not because of any specific reason.

“Magneto?” Erik frown. “It’s all that you see in me, isn’t it? I’m just Magneto now to you.”

“That’s not how you have forcing the world call you? Magneto, Master of Magnetism.”

“You’re the exception, Charles.” Both hearts skip a beat, Charles holds his breath. “You always are.”

All that Charles wishes for is a way he could tell Erik how much he’s missed him, how hard has been to wake up alone in bed, how many times Charles tried to contact Erik’s mind just to know if he still thinks about Charles, and how ashamed he’s feeling for have shown up in a wheelchair. Charles only wants to tell him to come back, but you can’t always get what you want. And right now, Hank’s safety is way more important than Charles. Priorities come first.

“Special way to express it through deciding to kidnap one of my kids.” Charles gives his very best to not give up on everything right there. 

Erik clears his throat, uncomfortable. He said Charles is his exception and got no answer, which means Erik’s not an exception of Charles, not anymore. He nods and tries to laugh. “I almost forgot you have sense of humor.” He turns around and make a gesture to Azazel to let Hank free. “All yours. You see, I’m not fighting you, and for that I apologize again, about Hank and all. It isn’t a goal of mine to kidnap the X-Men, my war is against them,” He points a finger to the kids playing with their mothers. Charles thinks that is a horrible scenario to Erik to make his point. “I hope we don’t reach a stage where we have to fight our own kind, Professor.”

Hank walks by Charles, he’s wearing a hoodie to keep his face hidden but they shared a smile, in their minds, ‘I’m so sorry about all of this. Welcome back’. Charles says and Hank runs to Alex, Sean and Carlie, a new student that Charles had recruited weeks ago.

“I’m sorry, my friend, but if you insist to fight them,” Charles imitates him and points to a boy who is playing with his dog, “I’ll have to fight you.”

“You don’t have to. This is not your battle, my friend. Stay away.” Erik stands up and looks at Charles’ chair. “Non-ferrous?” He smiles but it doesn’t match with his sad look, so he stops smiling, there’s no reason why he should pretend not to see the walls that they both have built between them.

“Hank’s idea. You’re right, he’s a genius.” Charles doesn’t even try to smile.

“I don’t see why. You should know better than everyone that I’d never hurt you.” With that being said, Erik leaves him, without waiting for an answer because it was going to be a heartbreaking one.

“Erik.” Charles calls when he’s a little far from him.

Erik turns around. If Charles was nearer to Erik, he’d see a hopeful look in his eyes. “Yes?”

“Where’s Raven?”

Erik feels stupid. What exactly he expected Charles would call him for? “She’s fine, Charles. Don’t worry. I’m taking care of her.”

Charles nods. Erik looks back at him before Azazel teleport them all. Charles stares at the direction where he last saw Erik’s eyes disappear in the air and sighs. He only returns to the reality when he hears Alex saying “BOZO! I didn’t miss you, just so you know”. Charles smiles and goes home with his family. Half of his family at least.


End file.
